Word Art Wednesday: Weeks #533 - 534

Welcome back to Word Art Wednesday for another awesome challenge, everyone. The reason why this challenge blog is so special is because YOU are here, and God is here, and that's a great reason to celebrate. The combination of art, fabulous prizes, being inspired, and the great love of God and being encouraged through His word is the perfect combination for FUN and we're so glad you've chosen to join along in it all. We're always so grateful to have you play along and fellowship with us.

The scripture used for this beautiful piece of word art is Psalm 116:15 which reads, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints". This is a familiar verse that many of us have likely heard at funerals, read on a sympathy card, or leaned on during a time of personal loss. Without trying to be at all controversial here, I want to be clear about what the Bible means (specifically in this verse) when it calls people "His saints". As I said, I'm not trying to be argumentative, but simply factual. This word "saints" does not refer to anyone special or of special note (i.e. Catholic saints such as St. Paul, St. Augustine, St. George, St, Christopher, etc.); but rather, it is referring to ALL those (past and present) who have placed their eternal faith in Jesus Christ, God in human flesh. It's not being "conceited" or anything to say that "I am a saint" of God. All it means is that I am a sinner who recognizes the need for salvation through the ONLY ONE who can save - Jesus. So, when we've placed our faith in Him, we become His saints. This verse is saying that when we die and leave this world, it is PRECIOUS in His sight. That's because He is rejoicing for us because He loves us and doesn't ever want to see anyone die without placing their faith in Him. The reverse of this verse (unstated) is that He is very heartbroken when a person dies in their sins, not having called on Him for forgiveness and therefor being eternally separated from Him. God LOVES us and WANTS us to call on Him. It's the only reason why He came to earth. Today is a great day to call on Him for your eternal salvation. He wants to rejoice on the day you leave this earth. Where will you be going to spend your eternity?

As always, you are welcome to save the word art to your computers; but you are never required to use it in order to play along in our challenges or to win. We welcome you to share your all your art with us; remembering that Anything Goes as long as it's family-friendly and uses an encouraging or uplifting sentiment. This includes any type of altered or digital art (not just limited to cards). You may link up to five (5) projects each week, for a total of ten (10) entries per two-week challenge. The more you enter, the more you increase your odds of winning. It is our desire that God's Word will be a blessing and encouragement to you as we share it. If you have any questions about the rules, be sure to read the complete list of rules under our page tab for "Challenge Rules". Because our ultimate goal is to honor God, we have no other choice but to delete any entries that do not adhere to the guidelines. Please know that this doesn't mean we are judging anyone. We're simply attempting to honor God and follow His rules. Let us know if you have any questions, and thanks for your understanding and participation.